Does appointing Jim Furyk as Ryder Cup captain makes any sense?

When Tiger Woods was involved in his latest traffic mishap it meant the USA’s best-laid Ryder Cup plans were thrown into chaos once again. It was widely expected that Woods was going to be persuaded to lead the USA at Adare Manor next year but the accident and his decision to step away from the game meant that was no longer an option.

It has to be said that there were still some viable alternatives, among them Keegan Bradley, who won the support of his players despite the USA’s defeat on home soil, Brandt Snedeker, Webb Simpson and Stewart Cink, who was widely seen as the favourite for the job.

Instead, there has been yet another left-field decision by the PGA of America, who have gone for Jim Furyk, the man who led the USA to a shattering defeat in France in 2018. He faced criticism after his team lost, with his four captain's picks winning just two points from 12 outings at Le Golf National so you can be sure that his every move this time is going to come under microscopic scrutiny. 

No matter which way you look at it, this seems like a very strange decision. The powers-that-be will point to his successful captaincy of the US Presidents Cup team in 2024 but come on - the Ryder Cup is a very different animal.

He will become just the fourth US captain in the modern era of the competition, which began in 1979, to lead the team twice.

"The opportunity to captain the US Ryder Cup team for a second time is a tremendous honour," Furyk said. "I am committed to putting our players in the best position to succeed as we work to reclaim the cup on European soil."

The Americans last won the Ryder Cup on European soil in 1993. Team USA previously went back to the well with Davis Love III, who was the losing captain in 2012 at Medinah as Europe rallied from a 10-6 deficit to win but earned redemption four years later with a resounding victory at Hazeltine by the score of 17-11.

In the aftermath of winning the Presidents Cup, Furyk told Golfweek: "I think I was a lot more prepared this year than I was in '18. I think the experience in '18 and knowing that I could have done a few things better, I think, really helped."

For the life of me this is a decision that I just don’t understand. Furyk is 55 years old and is surely out of touch with the current crop of players. He has spent much of his recent time working as a TV analyst. It is hardly ideal preparation.

He played in the Ryder Cup nine times, winning just twice, and he has a pretty poor record, and hasn’t exactly enjoyed overwhelming success in his four stints as vice-captain either. I think the likes of Snedeker, Cink and Simpson have every right to feel a trifle peeved.

Europe, of course, named Luke Donald as captain for a third straight term, and he will be aiming to become the first European captain to lead his team to three straight Ryder Cup wins. It’s a safe bet that he will not be quaking in his boots.